(by Quin at the Washington Examiner);
Donald Trump’s dangerous demagoguery, repeatedly using variations of the word “treasonous” to describe his critics and opponents and a supposed “deep state” conspiracy, must stop.
Trump did it again on Monday when, in response to a question about the end of the Mueller investigation, he said: “There are a lot of people out there that have done some very, very evil things, some bad things, I would say some treasonous things against our country. And hopefully people that have done such harm to our country — we’ve gone through a period of really bad things happening — those people will certainly be looked at. I’ve been looking at them for a long time.”
The accusation appears here to refer to supposed deep state conspirators. But Trump has said the same of his critics far too often. That they are treasonous is a smear he has repeated again and again. As the chief executive of the United States and the ultimate head of American law enforcement, his words to such effect carry a weight far beyond that of some ordinary Joe blowing off steam.
Treason has a specific legal meaning. It involves making war against the United States, which clearly isn’t involved here, or giving aid and comfort to a declared enemy of the United States. Treason is a crime punishable by death, and if the head of U.S. law enforcement says somebody has acted in a treasonous manner, his words convey a real threat.
This is especially so if he follows up such use of the word with a not-so-veiled hint of retaliation. “These people will certainly be looked at,” he said. “I’ve been looking at them for a long time.”
It is equally wrong, although not as legally weighty, for Trump’s critics to use the word carelessly when describing his actions, as they certainly have doneat times.
So here’s a little civics lesson for the threatener in chief, and for the rest of us…. [See the entire post here.]
